Why charging phones is such a complex business, with Anker CEO Steven Yang

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Business, Technology

4.2 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2021

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Nilay Patel talks to Steven Yang, the CEO and founder of Anker Innovations. The conversation covers the full stack of Decoder topics: taking bets on new tech like gallium nitride, building a direct-to-consumer business on Amazon, and the complexity of managing the Amazon relationship, regulatory issues, platform fees — you name it. And all from a company that started making phone chargers. Anker is endlessly fascinating. Links: Anker CEO Steven Yang is all in on USB-C Amazon-Native Brand Anker Goes Public EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones Gallium nitride is the silicon of the future Video: Is gallium nitride the silicon of the future? Anker MagGo devices snap on for wireless iPhone charging in your car and home Amazon confirms it removed RavPower, a popular phone battery and charger brand Another Amazon-first gadget brand has suspiciously vanished: Choetech Doug DeMuro on Decoder Nebula Capsule II mini projector review: TV in a can Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/22533880 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone, Alexander Charles Adams, and Andrew Marino. We are edited by Callie Wright. Our music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Charge into a new era with the all-electric Cadillac Lyric.
0:04.9	Lyric electrifies an iconic brand with sophisticated style and luxury,
0:09.5	and it's as iconic as you. Featuring the latest automotive technology, the
0:14.0	2023 Lyric Rear Wheel Drive offers an EPA estimated 312 miles of range on a full
0:20.0	charge. Actual Lyric range will vary based on several factors including
0:23.6	temperature, terrain, battery age, loading, use, and maintenance. 2023 Lyric
0:27.9	orders our full CDLOR for 2024 availability details.
0:57.9	28 December 2022, 36 months of vice-bound with a late-time plan up to 24 months,
1:01.3	18 plus credit chips, and a year-old in time supply.
1:05.1	Hello and welcome to Decoder. I'm Neil Apital, Editor-in-Chief of the Verge,
1:08.6	and Decoder is my show about big ideas and other problems. This week I'm
1:13.2	talking to Stephen Yang, the CEO and founder of Anchor. Now Anchor is one of
1:18.0	those companies that's endlessly fascinating to me. Stephen founded it in 2011,
1:22.3	and since then it's turned into a 3,000-person company that operates all over
1:27.2	the world by selling phone chargers and battery packs on Amazon. And it's
1:32.2	since expanded to other categories like webcams and Bluetooth speakers and
1:36.3	smart home products. Along the way, Anchor has pioneered a major advancement in
1:40.7	charging technology. You know that little white brick that takes forever to charge
1:44.7	an iPhone? It's made using silicon, and it puts out about five lots of power.
1:49.0	Anchor made a big bet on using a material called gallium nitride or GAN, and
1:54.2	now it has a charger the size of that iPhone brick that can put out 30
1:58.2	watts of power enough to charge a MacBook Air. It was a big bet and it paid off,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.